Inflammation can be acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is a normal response to physical injury, trauma or infectious disease. It's an indication that the immune system is functioning as it should.
Chronic inflammation is long-term and usually low level, making it often imperceptible. The problem is that chemical signals make the immune system response continue unnecessarily attacking healthy tissue, creating a vicious cycle of more inflammation and cellular destruction.
Even if the immune response is perceptible but intermittent, frequent occurrences can act as chronic inflammation and destroy healthy tissue. All this inflammation leads to heart disease, diabetes II, and a host of neurodegenerative diseases that have become more common over the last 50 plus years.
It makes sense to limit or break up those patterns of chronic inflammation, which can lead to disease and aging more quickly. Ridding yourself of body fat also helps remove chronic inflammation. It's been discovered that body fat often acts as an endocrine organ, secreting pro-inflammatory chemicals.
Visceral fat surrounds organs. You can be relatively thin while having visceral fat issues. Fatty liver is one example, and visceral fats are inflammatory conditions.
But eliminating all fat from diets is the wrong approach. Our brains, nerve tissues, and cell walls are composed of fat, even cholesterol. The sunshine to vitamin D3 conversion factor starts with a type of cholesterol in our skin.
Foods to avoid and foods to consume for inflammation reductionAvoid all processed and junk foods. They all contain inflammatory food-like substances. Trans-fatty oils, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), large doses of sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed salt, and processed white flours are all inflammatory.
Avoid heavily sprayed produce and GMO foods. Toxic pesticides and herbicides are obviously inflammatory. Researchers had assumed the GMO main transfer agent cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV 35S) would be destroyed in the stomach.
But that's not the case. The CaMV virus continues transferring genes unnaturally among enzymes and probiotic bacteria in our guts, creating inflammation. Avoid all the processed oils and margarines used as substitutes for healthy saturated fats. Heat processed oils are toxic and cause inflammation. Canola oils labeled natural are deceptively inflammatory. Pasteurized dairy products are heated also.
Choose organic cold pressed oils, such as olive, coconut oil, or others. Those are fats that protect your health. Try to use raw dairy products if at all possible.
Improve your omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio. Not enough omega-3 creates inflammation, even while using healthy cold pressed oils. The ratio should be around three to one or lower omega-6 to omega-3.
High quality fish oils, ground flax seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds or oils are good sources of omega-3. So are walnuts, walnut oils, and avocados or avocado oil.
Processed grains, such as bleached white flour in most commonly sold breads and pastries, are inflammatory. Many think all grains are inflammatory. But soaking whole grains overnight before cooking the next day reduces that potential.
Sprouted grains are more vegetable-like. More sprouted grain and whole grain sourdough bread products are becoming available these days. Those grain forms are the least inflammatory.
Lectins are inflammatory. They appear in nightshade veggies such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Peanuts and soy beans also contain lectins. Use only fermented soy products. Fermented foods and beverages are beneficial for reducing inflammation.
Greens and colorful berries and fruits are rich in antioxidants. So are dark chocolates, raisins, and prunes. Oxidative stress from free radicals is inflammatory.
So indulge yourself with high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value antioxidant foods and supplements, especially if you can't manage that perfect diet.
